SportsMarch 3, 2010
ND girls, Jackson boys try to avenge losses in sectional
The Jackson boys and Notre Dame girls will be facing similar circumstances when they face sectional opponents tonight. Both teams played their sectional opponent in January during the regular season and both will be looking to avenge a loss. Jackson (16-12) will face top-ranked Webster Groves (26-2) in a 7:45 p.m. Class 5 sectional at the Farmington Civic Center. The Statesmen defeated the Indians 64-50 on Jan. 29...The Jackson boys and Notre Dame girls will be facing similar circumstances when they face sectional opponents tonight.
Both teams played their sectional opponent in January during the regular season and both will be looking to avenge a loss.
Jackson (16-12) will face top-ranked Webster Groves (26-2) in a 7:45 p.m. Class 5 sectional at the Farmington Civic Center. The Statesmen defeated the Indians 64-50 on Jan. 29.
Notre Dame (23-4), ranked No. 2 in Class 4, will take on No. 7 Farmington (21-5) in a 6 p.m. sectional at Mineral Area College in Park Hills, Mo. The Knightettes posted a 53-50 victory on Notre Dame's home court Jan. 11.
In addition, both teams will have a player available that was missing from the earlier encounter, which they're hoping will help result in a different outcome.
Sectional winners will play Saturday in the state quarterfinals.
Jackson vs. Webster Groves
Jackson coach Darrin Scott said rebounding was his team's most blatant shortcoming in its 14-point loss to the Statesmen, who won the state title in 2008. He's hoping the presence of 6-foot-6 senior center Henrie Williams will help fix part of that problem.
"I think it's nice that we got to play them once, so the kids kind of know what to expect -- how they'll guard us, the pressure and that they'll have to take care of the ball," Scott said. "And we didn't have Henrie that last time, so I think that gives us a little added confidence."
Williams, the Indians' leading rebounder and shot blocker, missed the earlier encounter, one of several games he missed with an ankle injury. Williams, who played defensive end during the fall football season, returned to the lineup in time for district play and played a key role in victories over Central and Poplar Bluff.
The Indians needed every contribution Williams could provide as they defeated Central 62-60 in double overtime in the district semifinals, then nipped Poplar Bluff 51-50 in the championship game.
Williams provided a key rebound in the final minute against Poplar Bluff, taking a missed free throw the length of the floor to tie the game at 50-50. He finished with a team-high 21 points.
Scott knows he'll need Williams and more against the Statesmen.
"They just rebounded so hard," Scott said. "Even when they did miss shots, they got second shots. If we're going to have any chance to win, we're going to have to rebound a lot better. We're all going to have to. We can't expect Henrie to get all the rebounds, but I think he'll help."
Williams is second on the team in scoring at 12.8 points per game. Six-foot-four junior forward Bobby Clark leads the Indians at 15.2 ppg, while 6-3 junior forward Zach McDowell (9.3 ppg) ranks third.
The Indians match up well size-wise with the Statesmen, who are led by 6-3 senior guard Derrick Dilworth, who averages a team-high 15.4 points and 5.2 rebounds, second on the team. Cortez Conners, a 6-1 senior guard, is second in scoring at 14.4.
Conners is the team's top outside shooter, hitting nearly 36 percent of his 3-point attempts.
Jason Meehan, a 6-3 junior forward leads the team in rebounding and is third in scoring at 8.9 ppg.
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"Those guys are really good, but they'll have a bunch of different guys score at times," Scott said.
Meehan scored a team-high 14 points against Jackson in the first meeting and Dilworth added 12.
"They pressure and play so hard for four quarters," Scott said. "So they kind of have a tendency to wear you down."
Scott said the Statesmen wore down Saint Louis University High in the district final, beating the Junior Bills 61-55.
And that's what happened in Jackson's first game with the Statesmen, as Webster Groves led by eight points at halftime and upped it to 19 points by the end of the third quarter.
"Our kids feel we competed, and we can compete with them," Scott said.
Notre Dame vs. Farmington
Notre Dame breezed through its district, winning against Ste. Genevieve and Dexter by a combined 77 points. The title gives the Bulldogs a chance to avenge one of their four losses.
"I'm really thankful that we have an opportunity to play [Farmington] again, even though it's kind of going to be on their locale," Peters said. "That was kind of a surreal night for us."
All was going well in Notre Dame's home encounter with Farmington until an injury changed the course of the game.
The Bulldogs grabbed a double-figure lead in the first quarter and were comfortably ahead in the second quarter when 6-1 senior center Jane Morrill injured a finger.
Peters held out Morrill, the team leader in rebounds and blocked shots and the third-leading scorer at 12.4 ppg, for the remainder of the game and saw the Knightettes take advantage.
"She's got a Division I scholarship on the line," Peters said of Morrill, who has signed to play at Arkansas State. "I was not going to take any chances with her until she was seen by an orthopedic the next day."
Farmington's 6-0 junior center Morgan Ankrom led the Knightettes' comeback with 19 points. She was her team's lone player in double figures, and at 13.6 ppg she's the only Farmington player averaging more than nine point.
Notre Dame junior point guard Allyson Bradshaw finished with a game-high 20 points. Bradshaw leads the Bulldogs with 14.5 ppg, followed by sophomore Brooke Bohnert (12.5) and Morrill.
"It was one of those nights nothing went right for us," Peters said. "But then again, they did what they needed to do. They played aggressive and they played hard. Unfortunately, we did not step up mentally after [Morrill left the game]."
Peters said the Bulldogs will try to utilize their team speed and Morrill in the middle, a combination that has led to district routs. Farmington reached the sectional round last year, where it lost to Dexter by three points.
"Having lost to Farmington this year, I know the girls want another opportunity," Peters said. "They're not looking at it as, 'We breezed through districts.' Believe me. Right now we're sitting as underdogs. They've beaten us already this year. It's a nice position to be in."
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